Biutiful (movie)

In 2008, the committee that oversees the Oscars' foreign-language film category came under withering criticism for avoiding risky movies. Romania's "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days," a frank account of a young girl's illegal abortion, wasn't nominated, nor was France's "Persepolis" (a coming-of-age story set against the Iranian Revolution).

What a difference three years makes. The five movies up for one of global cinema's most prestigious prizes — selected this year from films submitted by 66 nations — are a study in gritty provocation.

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